Frilly jumpsuit

Hello again and thanks for dropping by! Apologies for my week off - it wasn't planned, simply a case of being overrun at both work and home so something had to give. Sometimes I just expect too much of myself which results in burn-out, last week being a prime example of this.

Do you like my new frilly jumpsuit? I wore it for the first time for one of our evening drinks parties recently and my assistant Rachel kindly did the honours with the photos. The jumpsuit was yet another lucky find on Vinted. No labels, no brand, but it's a gem of a piece and a joy to wear. I've added a green stretch belt and the yellow link necklace, both from Vinted too. My sunglasses are from Quay Australia. Rings are not new; the fluted one was a gift from a friend and the other is my Emily Nixon ring.

My sandals were from TK Maxx last summer. I bought them in two different colourways and golly, how comforable they are!

The jumpsuit has a 70's feel and makes me think I ought to be drifting about in a corn field with a chocolate ripple in my hand. Am I the only one who remembers that advert?

Rachel did a great job with the photos, but she did spend most of her time trying to make me laugh, which I suppose is no bad thing. Thanks Rachel, I'll let you help out again!

                                                                            Anna x

Zingy spring outfit

Hi there! How's tricks? I do hope you're enjoying this fabulous springtime weather. It's been glorious here with only a brisk easterly wind keeping us all in check and wearing our jackets when out and about. My pretty spring jacket is by Heyton, bought from TK Maxx a few years ago.

Despite being one of my favourite jackets I don't seem to have many things to wear it with so it was a joy to bring it together with my lime jumpsuit by & Other Stories (from Vinted). Fiona has become my Friday photographer again which is another joy in my life. It's lovely to have a bit of friendly banter to loosen me up for these photoshoots.

I have no idea what this gesture was in response to, but I was clearly having some Friday fun!

I decided on blue and turquoise as my accent colours against the lime green by adding two turquoise beaded necklaces and my recently purchased blue and coral beaded belt (yes, from Vinted of course). 

My white leather cowboy boots finish the outfit off with a sharp edge. Despite looking narrow they are actually all-day-wearable, thank goodness, as I do love them.

I'd like to finish off by giving a big shout out to all the ladies who drop in to see me at the Gallery throughout the year to pass on their positive comments on my outfits. Rosemary, it was so good to see you last week and to have your very kind feedback and valuable input - thank you! It's heartening to have these lovely ladies appear from time to time just to say how much they like popping in to see what the outfit of the day is. It's a real bonus for me, especially as I dress for myself, not for the approval of others therefore that makes it even more appreciated.

Have a great week everyone!

Anna x

Wear Your Greens our SNA challenge for March

Hello again, and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge! Every month we take it in turns to choose a theme for us to portray in our very own way. It's fun to see how differently we approach our subject reflecting our own personalities. This month Jacqui came up with Wear Your Greens so let's start with her, shall we?

Jacqui's outfit in fresh green and white is from Primark with shoes from New Look. As ever, Jacqui exudes a healthy glow, her smile the finishing touch in this spring green feature. Read her back story on Mummabstylish blog.

Emma's suit (from Monki) is a fabulous mix of green and fuchsia, the contrasting colours popping against each other.  The pussycat bow blouse is from The Hippie Shake and handbag is Fenella Smith. See more from her on the Style Splash blog.

Hilda has shopped her wardrobe for this month's challenge. You see her here in her favourite role as Grandma to baby Nova - the best accessory ever comes from Hilda! Catch up on all her latest news on Over The Hilda blog.

I bought this rather fabulous trouser suit from Vinted. It's by Joanie Clothing and can still be found on their website here. The print is called Art Nouveau in this glorious green and coral colourway. I bought it as new, still with tags attached for the price of £75 and it currently retails at £160. The Joanie website is a wealth of vintage style clothing and is well worth a browse.

My coral chiffon and ruffled top was also a Vinted find, but from last year. The pairing is a great match colourwise and earned me a few compliments on the day. Fiona and I took ourselves off to the beach just 100 metres from work to capture this flamboyant look. She said the print was very William Morris and I have to agree with her.

My cute little circular handbag is by Dune. I bought it from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and it's been a useful addition to my bag collection - when you need a yellow bag, well no other colour will do!

It's a year now since I bought these floral Dr Marten boots (from Vinted). I've worn them such a lot but they still look pretty clean and smart, don't you think?

Dressing up for work is the best perk of my job. I do so love playing to the gallery ('scuse the pun) day after day. Wearing my greens will forever come to mind about this suit as it was the first time I've worn it, but most definitely won't be my last.

My thanks to Fiona for risking getting her feet wet on the rising tide. It was the 5 o'clock rush hour and we were in the midst of buses meeting the Firethorn and guests returning from a day out - the rush added a buzz to our shoot.

Many thanks to you for joining us once again. Did we inspire you to Wear Your Greens? I certainly enjoyed this one - hope you did too!

                                                                           Anna x

Spring has sprung!

Hurrah, spring has indeed sprung! This is from today on Tresco (Wednesday 26th of March) a beautiful bright blue morning that surely imbued everyone with the feel-good factor here on our sun-kissed island. Tresco has recently hosted a Wellness Week followed by a religious retreat both with resounding success. For those of us who live here it's no surprise to see how well these breaks are received; it reflects the lure of this special island. 

I'll admit that I'm a fair weather kinda gal whose mood is influenced by sunlight for its natural high. The brilliant blue sky is a joy to behold. The sunlight on the water is a joy to behold. Simply being on Tresco is a joy to behold!

I felt more than a little giddy on my way to work this morning. Sunshine is all I need to feel good and golly did I feel good!

The outfit of the day was chosen to reflect the bright morning and the optimism it fills me with. I bought the ASOS suit from Vinted last year. I had to rework the trousers as they were too big, but it was worth the sewing challenge (see more of that here) to get them right as it's a fabulous suit now. It seems I might be a bit colour blind as I've considered this to be a lime green but it's just yellow to everyone else. Hey ho!

The multicolour bodysuit in a retro print and suede trainers were also from Vinted and the yellow sunglasses are from Quay Australia. 

If you're interested in another wellness retreat, Gem Hansen is hosting a Restorative Retreat on Tresco at the end of November - see more about that here. 

                                                                            Anna x